ST. DAVIDS, PA (February 12, 2020) – FDU Men's Basketball fell to Eastern University on Wednesday night, 70-54. With the loss, the Devils fall to 10-12 overall and 5-6 in the MAC Freedom Conference. The Eagles improve to 14-8 overall and 9-2 in the conference.

FIRST HALF
After Eastern grabbed a quick 4-0 advantage, FDU immediately responded with buckets from senior Andy Fleurantin and junior Oliver Ortman. Less than one-minute later, the Devils took their first lead of the game, 7-6, on a Fleurantin three-pointer. FDU would build its lead to as big as four, thanks to a freshman Devon Murray triple at 15:58. The Eagles had the response, scoring four straight to tie the game. After the Eagles regained the lead, the score was knotted back even, 20-20, with 7:31 remaining in the half, thanks to a senior Kenneth LaRocca jumper.  Eastern would go on to outscore FDU 14-8 down the stretch to take a 34-28 advantage into the break.

SECOND HALF
The second half of play was controlled by Eastern, with FDU getting the lead down to seven at the 14:05 mark. From there, the Eagles pulled away, outscoring the Devils 36-26 in the games final twenty minutes to secure the victory.

LEAD DEVILS
Ortman finished the day with 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field, while Fleurantin ended with 14 points, three assists and a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the free throw line.

ASSIST MACHINE
After cracking the top 3 in the nation for Assists Turnover ratio, LaRocca continued to dish to his teammates, finishing the game with five assists.

COACHES THOUGHTS
"We had two horrible practices Monday and Tuesday and against a very good team, that means you get embarrassed Wednesday." – Head Coach Jeff Slanovec

UP NEXT
The Devils return home to the Ferguson Recreation Center for a 3 p.m. match-up versus Delaware Valley University on Saturday, February 15^th.